Saturday, September 16, 2017

Journal Watch September 2017

CHRONIC PAIN

• Reducing Dependence on Opioids for Pain Management: Chronic pain
affects an estimated one in three Americans. This widespread struggle has
led to the wide use of pain medications, and a mounting national crisis of
opioid addiction and deaths. Most people – including most physicians — think of
pain as a physical symptom, but science reveals that emotions also play a big
role. In other words – psychology is integral to the pain experience, and
it can make it better or worse. Scientific research in the growing area of pain
psychology shows that pain relief is more effective when you address the body and
the mind. For people with chronic pain, it is important to identify negative
pain thought patterns, and to learn to stop them in their tracks. The good news
is that even someone prone to pain catastrophizing can learn to rewire their
brain for pain relief – and it doesn’t have to take long. One study suggests a
single-session class can teach people the skills they need to change their
brains—and their pain. Article provides various research studies along with
exercises you can try now. The Washington Post

•
Guidelines Discourage Using Brain Imaging for Chronic Pain:
Recent advances in brain imaging have improved understanding of acute and
chronic pain, but have led to an increased in the demand to use this data for
insurance and medical legal cases. However, a task force is advising against
the use of brain imaging as a “lie detector” test for chronic pain. The new
guidelines from the group of global researchers was published in Nature Review:
Neurology. The task force consisted of
clinicians, brain imaging researchers, and experts in functional magnetic
resonance imaging, neuroethics, and law.

• Lower
back pain may all be in the mind, study suggests: A new study into the neuroscience of clinical pain
suggests that perceptions of stiffness may not reflect the actual state of the
spine and joints. The team's findings may pave the way for new therapies that
help those with chronic pain in their lower back. Medical News Today

• Yoga and meditation improve mind-body
health and stress resilience:
A new research article investigates the effects of yoga and meditation on
people by looking at physiological and immunological markers of stress and
inflammation. By studying the participants of an intensive three-month yoga and
meditation retreat, the researchers found that the practices positively
impacted physiological and immunological markers of stress and inflammation,
and in addition improved subjective wellbeing. Frontiers

• Yoga, meditation improve brain function and
energy levels, study shows:
The study found that practicing just 25 minutes of Hatha yoga or mindfulness
meditation per day can boost the brain's executive functions, cognitive
abilities linked to goal-directed behavior and the ability to control knee-jerk
emotional responses, habitual thinking patterns and actions. Mindfulness

• Can a Digital Doctor Help You Sleep? If you've been having trouble getting some
sleep, a new online therapy program may help ease your insomnia, a new study
says. The online program is called "Sleepio." It's an interactive
digital cognitive behavioral therapy program that participants could access
online. The Lancet Psychiatry

• Common Cold and Complementary HealthApproaches: From the
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, the Clinical Digest
including zinc, vitamin C, Echinacea, probiotics, saline nasal
irrigation, Buckwheat honey, geranium extract, and garlic.

• Approved the first gene therapy for patients . Kymriah
(tisagenlecleucel) genetically tweaks a patient's own immune system cells into
what scientists call "a living drug" to battle a form of acute
lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

• Approved Aliqopa
(copanlisib) to treat adults with relapsed follicular lymphoma who have
received at least two prior treatments with certain other drugs.

• Approved its first mobile app to help treat substance
abuse. The Reset application is designed to help treat abuse of alcohol,
cocaine, marijuana and stimulant medications. But the app is not
intended for opioid dependence.

• Approved Mvasi (vevacizumab-awwb) as
a biosimilar to Avastin (bevacizumab) for the treatment of adults with certain
colon, lung, brain, kidney and cervical cancers

Former smokers are
nearly three times more likely to abstain from cigarette smoking if they puff
on an e-cigarette two out of every three days a month, according to the
analysis of a federal survey on smoking. "E-cigarettes are an effective
way to get cigarette smokers to quit, but you really need to use those
e-cigarettes," said lead researcher David Levy. "Using them a couple
days a month isn't going to be anywhere near as effective as if you use them
most, if not all, days in a month." Nicotine & Tobacco
Research

• Too Much TV May Cost You Your Mobility: Excessive sitting
after 50 is tied to disability, study finds which looked at the activity
patterns of 134,000 adults, aged 50 to 71. Watching more than five hours of TV
daily and getting three or fewer hours of physical activity a week more than
tripled the study participants' risk of disability over eight-plus years, the
investigators found. The message is move more, and sit less," said
DiPietro. "That doesn't mean working out. It means breaking up sitting
time. Go for short walks. Climb some stairs. Walk around the house. Walk around
the office. If you're watching TV, get up and walk around during
commercials." Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences

• Take a Stand Against Sitting too Much:In a new study, people who sat the
most had twice the risk of dying over a 4-year period as people who sat the
least. But taking a break every 30 minutes to get up and walk around might help
decrease the risk, the study authors said. Annals of Internal Medicine

• Heavy alcohol use alters brain functioning differently in young men and women:
Scientists have found that brain functions in young men and women are changed
by long-term alcohol use, but that these changes are significantly different in
men and women. This indicates not only that young people might be at increased
risk of long-term harm from alcohol use, but also that the risks are probably
different in men and in women, with men possibly more at risk. European College
of Neuropsychopharmacology

• Many Moisturizers Aren't What They Claim to Be: Many skin
moisturizers that claim to be fragrance-free or hypoallergenic are not, and may
aggravate skin disorders such as psoriasis and eczema, a new study says.
Northwestern University researchers examined the top 100 best-selling,
whole-body moisturizers sold at Amazon, Target and Walmart for affordability
and content. They found that 83 percent of so-called hypoallergenic products
had a potentially allergenic chemical. The researchers also discovered that 45
percent of products marketed as fragrance-free contained a botanical ingredient
or one that reacts to a fragrance that can cause a skin rash or skin allergy.
In addition, moisturizers with "dermatologist-recommended" labels
cost an average of 20 cents more per ounce than those that did not have the label.
Only 12 percent of the best-selling moisturizers were free of such allergens,
according to the report. Looking for allergen-free skin products? Your best
bets are white petroleum jelly, some coconut oils that are cold-pressed and not
refined, Vanicream's hypoallergenic products and Aveeno Eczema Therapy
moisturizing cream. And the three most affordable moisturizers without any
NACDG allergens: Ivory raw unrefined shea butter, Vaseline original petroleum
jelly and Smellgood African shea butter, the researchers said. JAMA
Dermatology.

• What
You Can Do to Help Fight the Opioid Epidemic:A surgeon's group offers a blueprint for safer pain
managementProper disposal of
prescription painkillers and use of safe alternatives to manage pain could help
combat America's opioid abuse epidemic, doctors say. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

NUTRITION/SUPPLEMENTS/VITAMINS

• Eating Feeds 'Feel Good' Hormones in the Brain Eating prompts the
brain to release "feel good" hormones, known as endorphins, a new
study shows. Researchers found the regulation of these naturally occurring
opioids, which can produce a sense of pleasure or euphoria, may help the body
know when it's satisfied. On the flip side, overeating associated with the
overstimulation of this system may contribute to obesity, the researchers
noted. The Journal of Neuroscience

• Diet Study Suggests It's Carbs, Not
Fats, That Are Bad for You: A
large, 18-country study may turn current nutritional thinking on its head. The
new research suggests that it's not the fat in your diet that's raising your
risk of premature death, it's too many carbohydrates -- especially the refined,
processed kinds of carbs -- that may be the real killer. The research also
found that eating fruits, vegetables and legumes can lower your risk of dying
prematurely. But three or four servings a day seemed to be plenty. Any
additional servings didn't appear to provide more benefit. People with a high
fat intake -- about 35 percent of their daily diet -- had a 23 percent lower
risk of early death and 18 percent lower risk of stroke compared to people who
ate less fat, The researchers also noted that a very low intake of saturated
fats (below 3 percent of daily diet) was associated with a higher risk of death
in the study, compared to diets containing up to 13 percent daily. "The
study showed that contrary to popular belief, increased consumption of dietary
fats is associated with a lower risk of death," European Society of
Cardiology annual meeting

• Acid Reflux? Try Going Vegetarian:A mostly vegetarian diet may provide relief
similar to widely used medications for people with acid reflux, a new study
suggests. The study looked at close to 200 patients at one medical center who
had been diagnosed with laryngopharyngeal reflux. Based on research into diet
and various chronic ills, Zalvan began advising patients to take up a mostly
vegetarian diet that he describes as "Mediterranean style." He
encouraged patients to go 90-percent plant-based -- eating mainly vegetables,
fruits, legumes, whole grains and nuts. Meat and dairy were to be limited to
two or three modest servings per week. JAMA Otolaryngology--Head & Neck
Surgery

• Keep Colon Cancer at Bay:For reducing colon cancer risk, whole grains
and regular exercise are a must, while processed meats and alcohol should be
limited, a large research review finds. Three servings (about 3 ounces) a day
of whole grains -- such as brown rice or whole-wheat bread -- may lower colon
cancer risk by 17 percent, according to a new report from the American
Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund International.

• Magnesium Can Reduce Depression:A randomized control trial has found over-the-counter magnesium tablets
(248
mg of elemental magnesium per day)
can significantly reduce anxiety and depression symptoms in just two weeks.
Plos One

• Clear link between heavy vitamin B intake and lung cancer: B
vitamins are among the most popular supplements on the market in the United
States. Some, like B6 and B12, are marketed and sold as products that can boost
your energy. But a new study shows that using too much vitamin B6 and B12
dramatically increases lung cancer in men, particularly those who smoke.
Journal of Clinical Oncology

• Coffee/Tea and Diabetes: New research suggests that coffee and tea
probably shouldn't be off-limits because each may help prevent an early death.
Well, at least if you're a woman with diabetes, that is. European
Association for the Study of Diabetes

• Could Artificial Sweeteners Raise Your Diabetes Risk?:A
small Australian study suggests that consuming high amounts of artificial
sweeteners might affect how the body responds to sugar -- and might raise a
person's risk of diabetes. European
Association for the Study of Diabetes

• Common Painkillers May Boost Blood Pressure in Arthritis Patients: Nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen may raise blood pressure in
patients with arthritis, a new study suggest. "Patients with
osteoarthritis and arthritis should continue to consult their doctor before
taking NSAIDs... and clinicians need to weigh the potential hazards of
worsening blood pressure control when considering the use of these
agents," Ruschitzka added in a European Society of Cardiology news
release.

• How
Shingles Vaccine Should Be Used in Arthritis Patients:New research indicates that the live varicella-zoster vaccine -- which is given
to protect against shingles -- elicits robust immune responses in patients when
administered several weeks prior to the start of treatment with the arthritis
drug tofacitinib. The Arthritis & Rheumatology findings are
encouraging because patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a higher risk of
developing shingles than other adults, and tofacitinib and certain other
disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs are thought to further increase this
risk. Importantly, however, the virus should not be given to patients who have
not had the chicken pox in the past.

• Asthma medicine halves risk of Parkinson's: Using
data gathered from 100 million Norwegian prescriptions, researchers have found
that asthma medicine can halve a patient's risk of developing Parkinson´s
disease. Science

• Statins May Help People with COPD Live Longer: The study from Canada
included nearly 40,000 people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD). One in five patients was taking a statin, and those individuals had a
21 percent lower risk of dying from any cause, and a 45 percent reduced risk of
dying from lung-related issues, the researchers found. Chest

• Magnetic Brain Stimulation May Quiet 'Voices' in Schizophrenia: Noninvasive
treatment worked for a third of patients in study, though effects were
temporary. A therapy that stimulates a region of the brain linked to language
may help quiet the hallucinatory "voices" that often plague
schizophrenia patients, new research suggests. European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
meeting

•Nerve 'Zap' Treatment Could Be Alternative to CPAP for Sleep Apnea:
People with more serious cases of sleep apnea may get lasting relief from an
implanted nerve stimulator, a new study finds. One specialist says the device
might benefit those who can't tolerate the current standard treatment for sleep
apnea: continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). CPAP involves wearing a mask
over the nose and/or mouth every night, and many people balk at that. The new
device, called Inspire, works by sending electrical impulses to a nerve that
controls the muscles of the tongue. When the stimulator is turned on before a
person goes to sleep, it causes the tongue to protrude forward, which helps
keep the airways open. Inspire was approved in the United States in 2014, after
a trial showed it was safe and effective over one year. American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery
annual meeting

•
Therapy proves effective in subgroup of COPD patients: An antibody treatment reduces the rate of flare-ups by
nearly 20 percent in patients with a subgroup of treatment-resistant chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to the results of two large
international trials presented at the European Respiratory Society
International Congress in Milan, Italy, and simultaneously published in the New
England Journal of Medicine.

OTHER

• Chronic Illness Can Plunge Young Adults into Despair: Young adults
with chronic diseases like asthma and diabetes are more than three times as
likely to try to kill themselves as their healthy peers, a new Canadian study
suggests. They're also 28 percent more likely to think of suicide and 134
percent more likely to have plans to do so. "Evidence suggests risk for
suicide attempts is highest soon after young people are diagnosed with a
chronic illness. The researchers also found that young people are more likely
to have a mental disorder when they suffer from a chronic illness, although
it's not clear if one causes the other. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

• Mono virus linked to MS: While "mono consistently increases the
risk of developing MS by two- to threefold" among whites, blacks and
Hispanics saw a fourfold increased risk in the new study. If exposed in
childhood, the Epstein-Barr virus that causes mono involves hardly any
symptoms. But exposure in adolescence or adulthood can trigger severe symptoms
such as fatigue, fever, sore throat and swollen lymph nodes. "The main
theory is that by delaying infection with this common childhood virus into
adulthood, it alters the immune system in a way that propagates MS, But the
study did not prove that having mono causes MS risk to rise. Neurology

• Autoimmune diseases increase cardiovascular and mortality risk: Confirmed
thanks to the monitoring of almost 1 million people over a six-year period. Autoimmune
diseases significantly increase cardiovascular risk as well as overall
mortality, new research confirms. This is particularly pronounced in people
suffering rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus. In addition, it
has been seen that inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's or ulcerative
colitis, increase the risk of stroke and death through any cause. Heart

• People Picking Up Infection From Pet
Store Puppies' Poop:Bacterial infections that have sickened 39 people in seven states have been
linked to puppies sold through Petland, a national pet store chain, U.S. health
officials say. Campylobacter infections
have been reported between September 2016 and August 2017 in Florida, Kansas,
Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, according to the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nine people have been hospitalized.
No deaths have been reported. CDC

• Many Americans Getting Medical Care They
Don't Need:Unnecessary
medical care is common in the United States, and a fear of malpractice seems to
be a main driver for ordering unneeded tests and treatments, a new survey
finds. Other factors include patient demand and doctors' desire to boost
profits, the researchers said. PLOS One

• Air quality in 'green' housing affected by toxic chemicals in building materials: Indoor air pollution can be a problem in
many homes, even in eco-friendly buildings. Thanks to a new innovative study,
researchers have a better idea of where these pollutants come from -- which
ones come from chemicals leaching out of building materials and which ones from
the personal items people bring into their homes. The findings could inform the
development of new green building standards and lead to healthier housing,
especially for low-income communities. Environment International

•
Science spin prevalent, researchers warn:
More than a quarter of biomedical scientific papers may utilize practices that
distort the interpretation of results or mislead readers so that results are
viewed more favorably, a new study suggests. PLOS Biology

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The Purpose of Healing Whole

The aim of the Healing Whole blog is to provide information on ways people can thrive regardless of the conditions they are affected by. Every Wednesday is "Take a Break" day and suggestions include simple art activities, games and other ways to relax and reduce the stress that often accompanies being a patient, caregiver, provider or family or friend of someone who is living with chronic or serious health issues. In addition to Healing Whole, I am co-director of Chronic Conditions Information Network (CCIN), www.cc-info.net which offers workshops and trainings on a variety of topics, including patient advocacy. We can be reached at margocaulfield@icloud.com or 802-226-7807.

About Me

The following blog sites have been developed to provide current information in various aspects of health care and as they pertain to Cavendish Vermont. Margo Caulfield is both the co-director of Chronic Conditions Information Network of VT & NH (CCIN) www.cc-info.net as well as coordinator of the Cavendish HIstorical Society www.cavendishhistoricalsocietynews.blogspot.com